CONCLUSION.

Evening Star, Issue 7154, 7 March 1887, Page 4

CONCLUSION.

TO THE EDITOR Sir,---I have now proved:—(l) That Aquinaß and Liguori are acknowledged (even canonised) authorities in the Roman Catholic Church j (2) that they teach the j very sentiments attributed to Archbishop j Kenrick of St. Louis; and (3) of course it; follows as a matter of moral necessity that the Church of Rome, like any other Church, and esDecially by her assumption of infallibility,'is" bound to enforce her own belief wherever and whenever she can do so with safety to herself. And now, in closing this series of letters, allow me to say that I have very great and sincere admiration for Bishop Moran, and for this reason : he believes something, and for that definite " something" he is willing to sacrifice much. I revere such noble and worthy men, while I have utter contempt for the " Vicars of Bray," the "reeds shaken with the wind" of public opinion, the weathercocks of Church or State, who turn every way to keep the way of the tree of popular applause. Such is my respeot for the Rev. Dr Moran that, were it possible, I would have discussed those abstract principles without even alluding to him. But, unfortunately, at the veyy beginning of the correspondence, he appeared upon the scene, and thus became identified with the discussion. The great want of this beautiful little country, and at this critical moment, in bpth Church and State, is men of decided beliefs, strong convictions, and clearly.-defined principles, who nail their colors to the roast, and refuse to lower them for either the ephemeral censure or the empty applause of mortals. Agnosticism, in either Church op State, is only another name for intellectual paralysis. Wero Jesus Christ to appear in Dunedin tomorrow he certainly would be thoroughly ridiculed by A»r present public dummies (politicians, preachers, and editors of the ««Civis" genus) as having ''peculiar idiosyncrasies," with not only a "bee,''but a bee-hive in his bonnet." Such negative, men have never built up or helped forward a community. They are only the larrikins playing around the building, who hinder rather than help the builders. Any idiot can find fault with the workmen, but it is quite another thing to toll up your sleeve i(nd show us how the work oan be > better done. What both Church and State need just now is less of the former and more of the latter.-I am, etc.. A. C. Gillies. Dunedin, March 4. -